


a silver ring and a promise of tomorrow

by Karria



Series: Perc'ahlia festival of happiness prompts [2]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-19
Updated: 2016-10-19
Packaged: 2018-08-23 11:35:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8326276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Karria/pseuds/Karria
Summary: Based on one of the prompts I got for Perc'ahlia's Festival of Happiness: I wanna ask you to marry me but I don't know how





	

Percival had a dilemma.

It wasn’t like he hadn’t have to make decisions before, but this one was... particularly taxing. It required a lot of planning on his part. He had to make sure it was perfect.

He had bought a jewellers kit months ago, and started making the ring not long after that.  It took a lot of work to make something worthy of her- he threw away at least ten unfinished rings before he finally made something he was happy with.

A beautiful silver ring was now safely tucked in one of his workshop’s drawers, under his notes and projects, where, he hoped, nobody would look.

It occurred to him, after doing all that work, that he didn’t actually plan anything else. He imagined it a lot, sure, but it was nothing resembling an actual strategy. Should he ask her father, like the tradition dictates?

 _No,_ Percival shook his head, _definitely not._ Vex would not be happy about it. He briefly considered asking Vax beforehand, but decided against it.

_She’s her own person, it’s her decision._

He’ll deal with Vax later. He already anticipated the talk that will occur, possibly some punching, but it wasn’t anything that he couldn’t take.

He needed to choose a place and a time. Should he ask her with the rest of the Vox Machina present? He remembered Scanlan’s proposal and grimaced, _I’d_ _rather not._ If Vex is going to refuse him, he would prefer to take it alone, without the looks of pity.

Maybe he should ask her near the Sun Tree, or in the castle.

Percival shook his head again. _Maybe ‘when’ will be the question that I can actually answer._

He had everything ready. The ring, the question; technically he had nothing to wait for. They could die at any moment, when some inevitable disaster strikes again. Part of him wanted to choose a day that’s special, like Winter’s Crest, her birthday, or the day that Whitestone was freed from the Briarwoods.

Was it too clichéd?

He almost wanted to laugh at himself. He’s sitting in his workshop, for days on end, doing very little actual work- just staring at the ceiling and thinking.

He just wants her to be happy.

 _She’ll never be happy with you,_ the little voice at the back of his mind whispers to him, as always, _you’re broken, Percival._

 

 

There are days, when he doesn’t believe it, when he defies it, like Vex told him so many times before: _we are happy together._ There are also bad days, when he closes himself in his workshop because of it, avoiding everybody, especially Vex.

He shakes it off and keeps on wondering.

 

Another few days pass. He’s sitting at his workshop again, in the middle of the night. It seems that he had locked himself in some kind of a labyrinth without an exit and he was getting nervous. After hours of thinking he had no plan at all and the growing tiredness because of the lack of sleep didn’t help.

He took the ring out of its hiding place and examined it again. It seemed to shimmer gently in the low light of the oil lamp.

Was it some fear that was keeping him here, or his indecisiveness?

_Both, probably._

He shoved the ring into his pocket and got up, causing the chair to fall down. It crashed into the wooden floor with a loud sound, but Percival didn’t care for it right now.

He left his workshop, and followed a memorized path through the Whitestone Castle. He passed through the hallways and rooms he played in as a child, fond memories finding their way to him as he walked.

After a few minutes, he found himself in front of what was currently Vex’s room. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears, like a drum. He was pretty sure he looked terrible from the lack of sleep. He raised his fist and hesitated for a moment, before knocking gently on the door.

“Yes?” he heard soft, sleepy voice coming from the other side of the door.

“I-It’s me.” After a few seconds the door opened with a creek.

“Percy, I told you, you don’t need to knock... did something happen?” Vex asked.

“I, uh...” panic hit him again, but he fought his hardest to get a grip. “Walk with me?”

“Now?” Vex asked and just then Percival remembered how late it actually is. “Alright, but wait for me, I’ll be back in a moment.” The door closed again, and Percy was left alone in the hallway.

He waited for a few short moments, before Vex emerged from her room. She smiled at him, and he took her arm, silently leading her down the hallway.

“Percival, dear? Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

“Just a moment,” he promised, as his legs lead him towards the goal. They passed some more rooms, empty hallways, before finally reaching the place he had in mind.

“Here,” he opened the door for Vex. She entered the room; as she passed him, he could see her curious and a little worried expression. He entered after her, gently closing the door, and taking a look around.

He hadn’t been in this room in years.

“Percy?”

Ah, yes.

“This was my favourite room when I was a boy,” he admitted. He could tell Vex is getting more worried, so he’ll have to tell her soon. He doesn’t want her to think anything bad happened after all.

“Why did you bring me here in the middle of the night? What happened?”

“Nothing happened, it’s just... uhm...” Percy took Vex’s hand in his, trying to stop himself from trembling. “The truth is, I want to ask you to marry me, but I don’t know how.”

There iss a shocked silence after the words leave his mouth. There’s little light in the room, but he can still see her enough to know she froze in place. Did he do it wrong? He felt the urge to open his mind, to apologize, to explain himself, but in this very moment, he felt Vex’s lips pressing to his in a warm kiss.

“Does this mean yes?” he asked half jokingly, after she pulled away.

“I thought something was wrong,” she admitted, as Percival was wiping the tears of her cheeks. “You kept locking yourself away, and I thought...”

“I’m sorry.”

“Just ask.” Vex said with a smile.

It took Percival a few seconds to understand what she meant, but it became clear when he realized what she was waiting for.

“Vex’ahlia, would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?” he asked.

“Yes!” she pulled him for another kiss, and Percival couldn’t be happier, but... he felt like he was forgetting something...?

“A ring!, I have it, uh...” he started frantically searching through his pockets, as Vex laughed at him. Eventually, he found it and gently put it on her finger.

He was pretty sure they made enough ruckus to be heard by half of the castle, but he couldn’t care less.

Somehow, it worked out.

They can tell Vox Machina tomorrow. For now, he’ll have Vex’s smile all to himself.


End file.
